University unveils plans for £14.5m business school

The University of Plymouth has announced plans to build a £14.5m business school in the city.
The transformed Fitzroy Building will include a number of specialist teaching facilities and social learning spaces for students on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes including those in business, accounting and marketing.
These will include an upgraded Bloomberg Interactive Learning Suite, where students will learn how to analyse financial markets, as well as a maritime suite and a language lab.
It will also provide a new location for The Cube, the University’s student and graduate enterprise support service, which in the past three years has supported over 4,400 student interactions and generated 230 businesses.
The £14.5m project is a key part of the university’s £250m campus masterplan, a decade-long programme of modernisation designed to maintain a first-class learning, research and working environment for all students and staff.
Vice-chancellor Judith Petts said: “The transformation of the Fitzroy Building is further evidence of our long-held commitments to sustainability and net zero. Once again, we are taking an existing building and repurposing it to create a cutting-edge space that will enhance teaching and experiences for both our students and staff.
“It is also the result of a long-held desire to bring our business students into the heart of the campus, giving them a facility that will advance their aspirations and inspire their innovation.”
The Plymouth Business School aims to combine career success with a commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.
It has affiliations to professional bodies including the Business Graduates Association and the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, as well as collaborations with businesses, organizations, community groups, and public bodies.
The Fitzroy Building was originally constructed in the 1970s, and the plans for its transformation have recently approved by the local planning authority, Plymouth City Council.
Constructed to the highest sustainability standards, the new facility will extend the University’s ambition for net zero, a commitment that in 2023 saw it become only the second university in the UK to achieve verified carbon neutral status.
The building is being refurbished in line with the latest thermal efficiency standards, with a focus on reducing heat loss and ensuring energy efficiency. Air source heat pumps will be used to provide heating and hot water for the building, while photovoltaic panels will be installed on its roof to generate electricity.